Game Trailers now schooling gamers on Final Fantasy historyA little over a month ago, GameTrailers.com began its "Final Fantasy Retrospective", a survey of the Final Fantasy series, beginning with its humble origins some twenty years ago. Aside from being extremely well put-together and informative, it features references to some of our favorite embarrassing Square titles, from Alpha to 3-D Worldrunner. Now in its sixth installment featuring Final Fantasy VIII and Final Fantasy XI, it is a comprehensive look at one of Square Enix's flagship series and a definite must-watch for any fan or historian. Now that G4 has hit rock bottom, GameTrailers.com appears to be a source for thoughtful programming woefully unavailable elsewhere. Watch Now

E3 2007 - Square Enix to bring online store statesideIn addition to its E3 lineup announcement, Square Enix has revealed its scheme to open a North American online store. Square Enix, as a self-described "premiere [maker] of high end-collectibles" plans to stock a multitude of "popular and hard-to-find items" including Master Arms, Play Arts, and Mechanical Arts spanning various series, from Final Fantasy to Kingdom Hearts. Clearly, Square Enix has seen that someone, somewhere is making money selling its products. The immediate consequence will likely find many third-party vendors competing for profits with Square Enix itself. The Online Store

E3 2007 - Square Enix announces lineupAs the headline above might suggest, Square Enix has announced its 2007 E3 lineup and is ready to showcase some of its most anticipated and exciting titles. Which will be shown? Which will be shunned? Square Haven brings you the latest. Details

Time to Get AXed: Anime Expo 2007By far one of the largest collections of animé and video game enthusiasts its side of the Mississippi, Anime Expo has long been a haven for fanatics to meet, discuss their favorite forms of media, and embarrass themselves with hideous cosplay. That's why this Haven was there to witness the madness and bring you the Square side of things. Read More

MMO-OST: Final Fantasy XI gets soundtrack boxAvailable for import at the price of $99, the newly announced Final Fantasy XI Soundtrack Premium Box Set will include seven discs and a piano score sheet. The limited edition item marks the fifth anniversary of the massively multiplayer online role-playing game in Japan, available for the PC, Playstation 2, and XBox 360 console. The CD collection composed and arranged by Naoshi Mizuta, Kumi Tanioka, and Nobuo Uematsu goes on sale in Japan on March 28th for 10,476 yen. Details and order info

Quarter financial results: Squeenix in the greenThe results are in for the first quarter of the current fiscal year and Square Enix has turned a profit of 888 million yen ($7.60 million USD) from 37.20 billion yen ($318.21 million USD) of sales. This constitutes a tripling of sales and no less than sixteen times the same quarter's profits last year. More specifically, titles such as Valkyrie Profile: Silmeria and Dragon Quest VIII selling in Japan and Europe contributed to the 363 million yen ($3.11 million USD) profit of the Square Enix game division, while the official Final Fantasy XII strategy guide also did its part by increasing the profits of the publishing division more than one hundred percent. A new Final Fantasy XI expansion (along with original title's XBox release) helped boost online sales sixty percent. The only loser was Square Enix's subsidiary Taito, whose acquisition you may recall to have been just under a year ago; it has since suffered an operating loss of 663 million yen ($5.67 million USD). No, there is nothing clever to say. Merely weep at the loss of money.

FFXI succession a vicious rumorThere have been some very interesting reports posted on several popular gaming websites recently that appear to detail what has been called a "Final Fantasy XI successor": a new MMORPG to inspire ridiculous Red Mage cosplay. Japanse Nihon Keizai Shimbun (Nikkei) credited production to Hiromichi Tanaka, whose was responsible for the original FFXI, and declared it would release on the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and upcoming Windows Vista platforms. But Nikkei, it seems, is not the ultimate source for all things Final Fantasy. Square Enix issued a press release today stating, "the Company did not make such an announcement and has not made any decisions resembling those detailed in the media report." Instead, it is, "developing an online title for next-generation platforms [...] as a completely new MMORPG". Sorry, kids. Time to put the virtual gil away. Press Release

Final Fantasy XI producer to create new PS3 MMOIn a recent interview, Final Fantasy XI producer Hiromichi Tanaka let slip his possibility of his working on a new MMORPG for the approaching Playstation 3 and Windows Vista. Though he offered no more pieces of information, Tanaka did mention that a PS3 version of Final Fantasy XI would take two or three years to construct, thereby making any such endeavor an inefficient use of resources and his team's time better spent developing a new title. gamesindustry.biz

Square Enix profits fall and tumbleDespite more optimistic initial numbers, Square Enix has since lowered its projections for the 2005/2006 fiscal year, with net sales at 125 billion yen ($1.06 billion USD) and net profit at 10 billion yen ($84.67 million USD), the latter figure a whopping 42.9% lower than previous estimations. Although high-profile titles such as Kingdom Hearts II and Final Fantasy XII helped to bolster sales, profits were damaged by the lack of top-sellers during the period from April through September. And despite the relative success of Final Fantasy XI, Squeenix's other MMO ventures have not gone successfully; likely the cause of their discontinued Everquest II support. What course will the company take in light of these events? That is difficult to say, but with the inability to point a finger squarely at Hironobu Sakaguchi, a renewed business strategy may be necessary. Game Daily

Next-gen Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest may see publication on multiple platformsJapanese newspaper Mainichi received some more exclusive information snippets in the form of Wada commenting that the next-gen FF and DQ games may be released on two or more platforms. He didn't mention which two, however, although at this point it doesn't mean anything considering Nintendo is tightlipped about any announcements. Nevertheless, Wada argues that releasing its two primary franchises across platforms would allow the company to appeal to a wider audience, which is just common sense, really. Look to Final Fantasy XI for an example of how Square Enix may approach the problem (and consider the platform independent PlayOnline model while you do).

Square Enix goes into trademark rageWithin one week of one another, Square Enix has filed two United States patents for both "Treasures of Aht Urhgan" and "Scars of the War". While the first is rumored to be the next in the line of Final Fantasy XI expansions, with Chains of Promathia just recently coming to a close, we can only guess as to the other; most probable: "Compilation of Final Fantasy VIII." GamesAreFun

E3: Final Fantasy XI on Xbox 360 to look like shitWell, relatively speaking. Final Fantasy XI will look exactly the goddamn same, causing raging speculation as to whether Square Enix is just screwing around with MS for some extra $$$. Also revealed today was the fact that FFXI was originally under development for Xbox, but MS' stubborn vapidity prevented any kind of useful deal from being made. Looks like they puckered up this time around, though. GI.biz

E3: Final Fantasy XI confirmed for XboxWTF? Yes. Microsoft has managed to convince Square Enix into allowing FFXI onto its dying platform. It's currently unknown how exactly Square Enix and Microsoft intend to combine Xbox Live and PlayOnline to make cross-platform gameplay in Final Fantasy XI possible, but there must have been some big deal struck for either of the two to buckle with their priorities. What's more, the situation begs an answer to the question of whether FFXI on Xbox is even that much of a beneficial move, considering the game is over three years old now and probably won't be seeing another expansion pack in its lifetime. Oh, and reports are indicating that the Xbox360 will give the game a graphical boost of some kind, whatever that means. Forbes

Euro FFXI Pricing Confirmed: Dollar Reigns SupremeSquare Enix Ltd. has recently announced a retail price of 50 Euro for this first self-published title. The seven disk set will include both the Rise of Zilart and Chains of Promathia expansions, as well as a month's worth of access to the game. Successive play will be priced at $12.95 a month; a move almost certain to quell complaints of European overpricing. gamesindustry.biz

Final Fantasy XI: Chains of Promathia officially announcedAs we suspected earlier, the second expansion for Final Fantasy XI, Chains of Promathia, is being readied for release this Autumn. Apparently, gamers will not be required to have the previous expansion, Rise of the Zilart (included with the US release), though there will be connections between the two that enhance the experience. With at least 40 new areas that fill in current empty parts of the world map and new modes of transport, the expansion looks to be more environmental than gameplay-altering: Square Enix doesn\'t intend to add any new jobs, skills, or increase the level cap at this time.

Final Fantasy XI in Europe this year?Alongside its other Europe-related announcement, Square Enix also suggested that the UK would be receiving Final Fantasy XI in some form before the end of the year; mainland Europe was not mentioned.

Final Fantasy XI packaging revealedSony has revealed the packaging of the PS2 version of Final Fantasy XI, which will finally see the light of North American day this coming March. The package includes the game itself as well as the 40-gig HDD hard drive and a 30-day trial of the online service. Final Fantasy XI will retail for an MSRP of $99.99. Media

Over 500,000 geeks congregate to PlayOnlineSquare Enix announced today that the userbase for its PlayOnline game service has surpassed 500,000 users, a mark attained thanks to brisk holiday sales for the PC version of Final Fantasy XI and the insistent demand of a make-believe cyber-place where geek boys and girls could meet under the protected veil of video game penetralia. 1UP.com

Sony preparing Final Fantasy XI bundleWith Final Fantasy XI recently released on the PC (and doing quite successfully), Sony now has to make sure its end of the deal is good to go for the upcoming March 23rd NA release date. As such, it announced that it would be bundling FFXI with the required 40GB hard drive (pre-installing the game for your convenience) at the cosy price of $99. The other required peripheral, the broadband modem, will not be included in the deal. Gamefront

Final Fantasy XI for PC out today in NAYou know what they say - time to go out and buy that game! Also time to go out and buy a new harddrive and graphics card, because no way you're going to play it without 6gb of space and 128MB of pure polygon-pumping visual power! Buy it

Final Fantasy XI, PS2 hard drive in MarchSony has announced that the PS2 version of Final Fantasy XI will be packaged and preinstalled with the PS2 HDD hard drive as well as various exciting PS2 demos. The package will be released in March and will retail for $99. Online service is of course extra - you can play Final Fantasy XI for $12 a month. Gamers.com

ATI giving away Final Fantasy XI beta test kitsATI Technologies Inc. will be making available FINAL FANTASY? XI beta test kits to the first 1000 eligible applications for this promotion. ATI currently anticipates shipping the FINAL FANTASY? XI beta test kits in July 2003. You must be 18 years of age or older to particpate.
To register to participate in this beta test program, email finalfantasybeta@ati.com with the following information: First Name, Last Name, E-Mail Address, Age, Address, City, State \ Province, Country, Zip \ Postal Code, Number of hours spent per week playing PC games. ATI promotion

Square staff meets for soberingly boring FFXI interview"Today, some of the key team members on Square's staff -- including localization director Richard Honeywood, American producer Yasu Kurosawa, and top Japanese producer Hiromichi Tanaka, the producer of Chrono Cross -- took the time to answer a few questions regarding what American Final Fantasy fans can look forward to upon the arrival of this most unusual of Final Fantasies." Gamers.com Interview

Sony: "Final Fantasy XI, PS2 hard drive in 2004"SCEA president, Kaz Hirai, told the E3 press today that Final Fantasy XI will be released in North America in early 2004. What's more, the game will be published by SCEA rather than Square Enix and the PS2 Hard Drive will be released in time for XI's arrival. Both the PS2 and PC versions will include the Rise of the Zilart expansion pack. Games Are Fun

Re-release of Final Fantasy XI with price cutsJune 2003 will see Square Enix releasing a Nice Price version of Final Fantasy XI (without the expansion pack Rise of the Zilart) in Japan for $40. This edition will include the latest patch of the game so users don't have to go through the reported 5 hour download torture involved in the update process. Gamefront

Final Fantasy XI goes betaPublic testing for PlayOnline services in North America has begun at Square Enix USA's site, where users can sign up for either the PS2 or PC version of the network and get a chance to play Tetra Master, Final Fantasy XI and make use of PlayOnline stuff. Get on it, but don't forget - US/Canada only! Square Enix USA

FFXI: Vision of Girat's Shiva very hotSquare has further developed its Playonline Final Fantasy XI: Vision of Girat page, adding screens of new locations with descriptions that I can't read, as well as some pictures detailing the use of the three new character classes which are presumably summoner, badass samurai, and uh, something else. The summoner's page features some explanation as to how the act of summoning is executed, as well as some shots of the new Shiva, who is as scantily clad as ever. Yay! Playonline

Square Enix to focus on PlayOnline?At a shareholder's meeting today, Yoichi Wada indicated that Square Enix would be focusing on the role of the player community as an important aspect of gaming and that they plan to develop titles akin to Final Fantasy XI for release in 2005. There was no information given as to what platform(s) these games would be launched for, but speculation suggests the next generation of online-oriented consoles like PS3 and Xbox Next might be the targets. Gamefront

Final Fantasy XI no longer bleeding moneySquare has reached the 190,000 Final Fantasy XI subscriber mark, and expects to hit 200,000 by the end of the week. With 200,000 subscribers killing and maiming their way across the virtual world of Vana'diel, Square will finally break even on the $16 million investment made on the game's development and maintenance.

Coolest couple ever have Final Fantasy XI weddingSuper rad Final Fantasy XI users Otoku and Jar were pronounced man and wife recently when they held the first ever Final Fantasy XI online wedding ceremony, says NewFF.com. Dozens of fellow geeks lined up to witness the joyous ceremony and even Square joined in with a special wedding ring and confetti made for the bride and groom. Good Times. Link

Nvidia and Square team up for FFXI PCSquare and Nvidia are collaborating together for the PC release of FFXI. Don't want to buy a PS2 hard drive to play Square's first MMORPG? You could always save up your pennies for a nice, shiny GeForce 4. Full Article

Hello, Final Fantasy XIISquare introduces the first details of Final Fantasy XII, announces portable versions of Final Fantasy IV through VI, talks of the PC port of Final Fantasy XI, and (kinda) announces support for Nintendo's GameBoy Advance. All in one day, mind you! Full Article